Rumble In Gongaga
by SoldierFirstClass
Summary: This story is an action packed, 3 part novelization of the encounter with the Turks in Gongaga.
1. Pit Stop

_**Disclaimer: Most of the characters and ideas in this story are products of Square-Enix/Squaresoft from the video game Final Fantasy 7 and I am in no way responsible for the creation of this fictional world or the characters within it.**_

_**Rating: T or PG-13 (violence, mild language)**_

_**Introduction: **__This story takes place after Cloud & Co. were released from Corel prison. With their new buggy, they traveled south of Gold Saucer so that they could make their way east to follow Sephiroth. This story is a novelization of an encounter(optional in game) that they had during their journey east._

**Chapter 1 Pit Stop**

"What a dump." a deep voice said, breaking the silence that filled the warm afternoon air that surrounded the two men. Hearing his partner's comment, Reno looked around, surveying the area.

"No kiddin," Reno replied. "Who bombed this place?"

His partner calmly responded, "I think the reactor went up a few years back."

"Obviously," Reno mumbled, annoyed by his partners ignorance of his attempt at humor.

"You think they'll actually show up or you think the tip was a dud?" Reno turned to Rude, who only shrugged in response.

_(Cloud)_

Cloud pulled the buggy to a stop in the humid forest that surrounded the rural town of Gongaga. They had been driving for a while and the group was in need of rest. Not that their stay in Corel Prison hadn't been a relaxing one, but after bargaining for their freedom and fighting off Corel thugs, driving across the continent was an exhausting thought.

"So we're stayin' at the inn here?" Cloud asked, turning around to face the passenger section in the back of the buggy.

Barret leaned forward. "Have ya look'd at the place Cloud? From what I saw, we'll be lucky if there's a single bed in the whole damn town."

"Well I'm gonna check," Aeris replied cheerfully. "I don't want to sleep in this rusty old machine."

"Me neither," Tifa added from the seat next to Cloud.

"Well I'm fine in here," Barret replied. "Now that the bumpy-ass ride is over, this seat is actually comfortable. Besides, someone has to watch the buggy."

"I'm fine here also," Cait Sith chimed in with his childish voice.

Red XIII spoke up. "I'll sleep just outside the buggy. I like the sounds of the wilderness and I will hear if anyone approaches."

"Yuffie?" Cloud asked, looking in the back where she was already stretched out on the farthest bench seat.

Yuffie sat up and answered. "I'm fine here, now that we stopped move'n. Besides, I don't sleep in strange places."

"Alright, I'll take the ladies into town. If there's not an Inn, we'll be back in a few." Cloud stated as he opened the driver-side door and stepped out.

Tifa climbed out the opposite side, followed by Aeris. They walked over to Cloud who had already started up the path to Gongaga.

"Lead the way," Aeris said playfully.

After they walked a short distance, they reached a fork in the path and Cloud raised his hand to signal the girls to be silent. He had heard voices ahead, so he moved a few more steps forward and asked, "...Is someone there?"

_(Reno)_

"Hey Rude. Who do you like?" Reno asked, attempting to get some conversation out of Rude while they waited. Rude turned the other direction in response to his question.

"What are you getting so embarrassed about?" Reno asked, hoping to get a rise out of his emotionless partner. "Come on? Who do you like?"

Rude was obviously pained to have to show his feelings about anything, but he eventually replied, "...Tifa."

"Hmmm...That's a tough one," Reno said. "But, poor Elena. She...you..."

"No," Rude answered. "She likes Tseng."

Shocked by this new development, Reno said, "I never knew that! But, Tseng likes that Ancient..."

_(Elena)_

Elena slowly walked up the path to Gongaga on her way to rendezvous with the other Turks. Her walk through the woods hadn't turned up anything other than a buggy parked about ten meters off the path. That didn't matter, she was only looking for Cloud or his group. Therefore, a junky buggy parked in the woods was an irrelevant detail in a failed search. She was hoping to perform well in this situation since she did not have much field experience as a Turk and wanted to earn her colleagues respect.

Ahead in the path, three travelers stood, seemingly listening to an idiotic conversation Reno and Rude were undoubtedly having. Two female travelers stood behind the man, blocking Elena's view of him.

As she approached, she heard the male traveler say, "What are they talking about?"

Elena joined in the conversation. "It's so stupid! They always talk about who they like or don't like," Elena said, suddenly lost in thought. "But Tseng is different."

The male traveler turned around in response to her comments revealing his spiky blond hair and odd purple uniform.

"Ah!" Elena gasped, shocked mostly by her own ignorance. "Oh no!" she cried as she sprinted past their deadly enemy.

Upset at her mistake, she screamed to Reno and Rude, "They're here! They're really here!"

"Hmm...Then it's time..." Reno leisurely responded. His demeanor was more than a little surprising to Elena. Reno turned to his partner and said, "Rude...Don't take it easy on them even though they're girls."

Rude calmly replied, "...Don't worry, I'll do my job."

"Then, we're counting on you" Elena said, attempting to sound professional. "I'll report to Tseng!" Elena paid her fellow Turks a salute and then took off down the path to the Gongaga reactor.

_(Cloud)_

Cloud stepped forward, ready to engage in battle at any second should the need arise. With Elena gone, he surveyed his remaining opponents. Reno, he had fought before and he knew what to expect from him. His partner however, Cloud had met only briefly at the ShinRa headquarters. He would have to watch him carefully so that there would be no surprises. As Cloud looked back at Reno, Reno turned to face him.

"It's been a while," Reno said, staring calmly at Cloud. "Payback time for what you did in sector 7."

Cloud was angered by the mention of Sector 7, but he knew that Reno had intended it. Not giving Reno the satisfaction, he maintained his composure and asked, "Sector 7?" Knowing that a Turk would want his work recognized, Cloud thought playing dumb would be the best response.

_(Reno)_

Marveling at what a jackass Cloud was, Reno simply answered, "That's sad." Though he kept his cool composure, Reno was exhilarated by the adrenaline rush just before a good fight.

"That's as far as you go." Rude emotionlessly declared. Realizing that it was time to go to work, Reno leisurely pulled his electric nightstick from his belt and rested it on his left shoulder.

_(Tifa)_

Tifa's heart was racing. She did not exactly fear these men, but she knew that ShinRa hadn't not sent negotiators to take them in. And, for that matter, ShinRa wouldn't have sent two when they could easily have sent two-hundred unless those two were very good at their job. They would most likely have more than a few tricks up their well-tailored sleeves.

_(Cloud)_

Cloud, on the verge of a dangerous fight, felt strangely at home. His mind was clear and focused, contemplating the different scenarios that might play out at any moment. He was confident that he could handle either alone, but together the danger of facing them would likely increase tenfold. Also, he had to consider the safety of Aeris and Tifa. He didn't doubt that they both could hold their own in a fight, but he did not know the intentions nor the capabilities of their ShinRa adversaries. However, he did know that they were likely instructed to capture Aeris, so it would be best not to involve her.

"Tifa," Cloud said suddenly.

"I'm on it." she replied, apparently understanding exactly what he was going to say. She stepped forward to face off with Rude, shifting her body into the stance of the Zangan-style martial arts.

Cloud observed the quieter of the two raising his hands into the classic boxer stance. Immediately relieved that his weapon of choice was his own hands and not some deadly ShinRa weapon, he set his sights on his target. Reno.

_Note: The only reason I ended this chapter with sort of a cliffhanger was because I wanted this chapter to set up the fight and the next chapter to be the fight. Sorry if it is annoying. :) I will update very soon anyway._


	2. Showdown

_**Rumble In Gongaga**_

_**Disclaimer: Most of the characters and ideas in this story are products of Square-Enix/Squaresoft from the video game Final Fantasy 7 and I am in no way responsible for the creation of this fictional world or the characters within it.**_

_**Rating: T or PG-13 (violence)**_

**Chapter 2: Showdown**

Reno was the first to move, suddenly lunging toward Cloud. He knew that it would be hard to defend against a sword of that...size. Therefore, the best defense would be a swift offense. He was a professional, after all.

Not wasting any time, Reno drew his stun baton to the right and swung it powerfully at Cloud's head.

_CLANG_

Reno was shocked as his weapon connected with metal rather than skull. Cloud had managed a defense as quickly as Reno had attacked. Reno apparently looked as surprised as he felt because he saw Cloud's mouth raise into a small grin.

Frustrated by Cloud's luck, Reno released a flurry of perfectly aimed attacks, all at specific targets that he selected only a fraction of a second before the attack would land. As quickly as Reno could attack, Cloud would somehow manage a defense.

Right shoulder.

_CLANG_

Throat.

_CLANG_

Left kneecap.

_CLANG_

Right temple.

_CLANG_

Left elbow.

_CRUNCH_

Cloud's grip on his sword faltered, exposing the left side of his body to attack. Reno made it count.

_THUD_

Reno finally had connected with Cloud's spiky head. Cloud fell to his knees, causing Reno to grin widely in triumph.

"Luck run's out junior," Reno happily gloated. "You got talent, but I'm a pro." The instant he finished speaking, Reno raised his metal nightstick to end the fight. Swinging it swiftly downward, he aimed for Cloud's dazed head.

His blow halted inches from Cloud's cranium. Astounded, Reno looked down to find that Cloud had caught his wrist in mid-swing and he could not pull it free of Cloud's grip. Reno gazed at Cloud with new respect, realizing that this fight wouldn't be as easy as he'd thought. Cloud stared back up at him with fiery Mako eyes.

_(Tifa)_

Tifa wasted no time, seeing that Reno had engaged Cloud, she rushed toward her adversary. Rude did not so much as flinch as she approached nor did he adjust his stance when she attacked.

She quickly threw some of her fastest moves at him, hoping to catch him off guard and end the fight early. Rude seemed unaffected by her sudden onslaught. He simply blocked each of her attacks with his palms, redirecting the momentum away from his body.

He was fast. Really fast. Tifa quickly realized she was getting nowhere. He was just letting her attack so that he could learn her moves. She was playing right into his hands, literally.

Tifa broke off the attack and took two quick steps backward. She focused on Rude's stance, attempting to find a weak point.

There. Tifa swiftly shifted her center of gravity and landed a powerful snap kick in Rude's lower ribcage. She then moved forward, hoping to catch...

_SMACK. SMACK._

Rude had halted her advance with an unbelievably fast One-Two punch. As Tifa got her senses back, she saw Rude attempting to follow up with a strong right hook.

She had been dazed, but she wasn't about to be touched by a move that slow. Tifa quickly ducked and sidestepped, avoiding the punch entirely.

She then capitalized on his forward momentum by slamming her knee into his gut. Then, Tifa slammed her elbow into his lower back.

As Rude turned around to face Tifa, she greeted him with a colossal punch to the jaw which sent him stumbling backwards a few steps. Rude's unplanned steps put him right where she wanted him.

Tifa threw all of her strength into a swift roundhouse kick that landed on the side of Rude's bald head, sending him spinning to the ground.

Tifa eyed him carefully, keeping her distance. He lay still for only a moment before he picked up his sunglasses off the ground and stood up.

Stunned by Rude's endurance, Tifa watched him casually brush off his expensive black suit and slowly place his shades back on his head. Rude then, as if nothing had occurred, calmly raised his hands into the classic boxer position.

_(Cloud)_

With Reno's wrist held securely in his left hand and his buster sword in his right, Cloud rose to his feet. Gazing into his opponent's now worried eyes, Cloud yanked Reno toward him.

Now inches from his enemy, Cloud dealt Reno a fierce headbutt to the face. A taste of his own medicine, perhaps.

Back in control of the situation, Cloud went on the offensive, slashing at Reno with great power and speed.

Reno ducked, rolled, dodged, jumped...Cloud's vast slashes could not connect with any part of him. Cloud knew that Reno couldn't keep this up forever, eventually...

_WHOOSH_

Cloud stopped cold as he saw a long horizontal slit appear in the clothing that covered Reno's chest. Reno had slipped up and Cloud knew it.

"Close call," Reno said as he looked down at his sliced shirt.

"Closer than you think," Cloud said with a serious tone as he saw that Reno's white undershirt was now painted red.

_(Rude)_

Slightly irritated at his performance thus far, Rude prepared to commence his attack. Not that he hadn't gained sufficient knowledge of his female adversary's abilities by their previous confrontation, but he preferred to conclude fights promptly.

Tifa rushed forward soon after Rude had regained his proper footing. She foolishly attempted similar techniques, simply substituting her snap kick for a leg-sweep.

Rather than simply jumping her leg-sweep attempt, Rude placed his hands on her shoulders and vaulted himself over Tifa's body.

Rude landed smoothly behind Tifa so that they stood back to back. Before she could respond, he powerfully elbowed her in the back, returning the favor that she had granted him earlier.

Quickly pivoting to face Tifa, Rude grabbed her right shoulder and spun her body around and planted three lighting fast jabs on her forehead with his left hand. Rude concluded the combination with his strong right hook that, this time, landed perfectly on Tifa's jaw.

Tifa was out cold.

Rude had purposely avoided Tifa's nose and teeth when aiming his punches. Though he respected her talent and considered her a commendable foe, he did not desire to damage her permanently. It seemed wrong to him for some reason.

Tifa fell peacefully to the ground, so Rude turned to check on his partner's progress. Rude cursed his unprofessional ignorance as he spotted Reno who stood clutching his chest, blood flowing down his arm.

_(Aeris)_

Aeris had been watching from the sidelines since the fight began. She knew that she should not get involved since the Turks where likely sent for her. She also could not return to the buggy to alert the others because the Gongaga forest was perfect for an ambush. Aeris knew that she would only endanger her friends if she were to be captured again. So she stayed put...

...until she saw Tifa fall. Not knowing whether or not the sinister Turk would attempt to finish Tifa as she lay helpless, Aeris sprinted toward him.

Without spotting her approach, the silent Turk reached into his pocket and removed a smooth green sphere. He then closed his hand around it and outstretched his arm toward his bleeding partner.

Aeris did not know whether he succeeded in summoning the wisdom of her ancestors because as soon as she got in range, she swung her staff downward toward Rude's head with all her strength.

_CLAP_

_A_gain demonstrating his incredible speed, Rude had reached up and caught Aeris' falling staff before it could strike him. Aeris foolishly kept a firm grip on the staff.

She did not realize her mistake until a fierce trust kick landed in her gut. Rude then released the staff, allowing Aeris to crumple to the ground next to Tifa.

_(End)_

_Note: Don't miss the exciting chapter 3 coming up tomorrow. Again sorry to leave you in suspense but I will update very quickly._


	3. Beat Down

_**Rumble In Gongaga**_

_**Disclaimer: Most of the characters and ideas in this story are products of Square-Enix/Squaresoft from the video game Final Fantasy 7 and I am in no way responsible for the creation of this fictional world or the characters within it.**_

_**Rating: T or PG-13 (violence)**_

**Chapter 3: Beat down **

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

Aeris cursed her recklessness as she lay on the ground clutching her stomach. She had assumed that the silent Turk was unaware of her approach and had paid the price.

Knowing that she shouldn't try to fight him in her current state, she called out to the planet.

Aeris felt a gentle gust of wind sweep toward her, filling her lungs with cool refreshing air. As she inhaled the healing wind,she felt revitalized.

The pain in her abdomen slowly melted away as she climbed to her feet. Aeris then held her staff with both hands, preparing to engage the silent man once again.

Before she could throw an attack, she felt a hand softly rest on her shoulder. She turned her head to find Tifa who had apparently also felt the soothing affects of the healing wind.

"May I?" Tifa asked calmly.

"Sure," Aeris responded as she backed off, giving Tifa some room.

**Reno** had lost a vital amount of blood. He was sure that the fight was over until he saw a sparkling green light. This light flew from Rude's hand and into Reno's open wound.

Reno felt the Cure magic take affect as his bloody gash closed and his strength gradually returned. Standing up strait, he saw Cloud still stood in front of him with his sword poised for attack.

Cloud had gotten a lucky slash in and caused a minor setback, but Reno was just getting started.

Reno's gaze locked with Cloud's. Almost instantly Cloud narrowed his eyes and rushed forward.

Before Reno could react to his sudden dash, Cloud jumped into the air and raised his sword back with both hands. This attack was braver than any Reno had ever witnessed because it forfeited defense entirely. Panicked, Reno pushed a small button on the handle of his weapon.

A large burst of Mako-generated force pulsed from the end of Reno's stun baton, blasting Cloud backward and throwing his weapon from his grip. As Cloud landed on his back a few meters away, Reno heard his sword land somewhere in the Gongaga forest.

Reno's heart beat wildly since he had nearly been diced by Cloud's bold attack. The 'Turk Light', as Scarlet had called it, had saved his life. He would have to personally thank the guys down at ShinRa Weapons Development when he got back.

**Cloud** was furious. He was growing tired of Reno's tricks and wanted to at least put him on the ground, if not in the ground.

His weapon far out of reach, Cloud quickly jumped to his feet and threw himself toward Reno. Cloud slammed all his weight into Reno, ferociously tackling him to the ground.

Landing on top of Reno's body, Cloud grasped his throat with his left hand and started brutally beating on his face with his right. Reno desperately raised his electric baton to Cloud's neck and sent a colossal charge through Cloud's body.

Cloud grimaced in pain and lunged away from Reno. But, before Reno could get up, Cloud gripped his jacket with both hands and lifted him off the ground.

Reno was only on his feet for an instant before Cloud drew his arm down and threw a massive uppercut into his chin. Falling hard on his back, Reno painstakingly raised his weapon to...

_CRUNCH_

"Ahh!" Reno cried as Cloud stepped on his wrist with one foot and kicked his bothersome weapon out of his hand with the other. Reno wouldn't be shocking anyone for a while.

**Tifa** repeatedly slammed her fists into Rude's bald head. Rude hadn't turned his attention to her after he had healed Reno and Tifa was making him pay for it.

_Smack. Smack. Smack. Smack._

Tifa continued throwing swift combos at the Turk without giving him a chance to react. When he defended high, she pounded on his stomach. When he defended low, she would bounce his head like a basketball.

Tifa then shoved Rude away from her with both hands. In his frustration, Rude rushed in to attack. Big mistake.

Tifa put her left foot onto his thigh, propelling herself upward into a full backward somersault. As her body flipped backward, Tifa threw her right foot into Rude's chin.

Tifa landed perfectly on her feet as Rude toppled backwards onto the dirt. Tifa silently congratulated herself for performing that technique so flawlessly. Zangan had even been surprised by her agility the first time she used that move, but she had feared that she was out of practice since those days. That seemed like so long...

DAMN. While she had been lost in though, Rude had pulled another green orb from his jacket, undoubtedly containing some deadly magic.

Rude closed his hand around the materia and extended his arm toward Tifa, preparing to cast the magic within it. Tifa was in big trouble if...

_CRACK_

Aeris' metal staff slammed into Rude's hand, throwing the materia free of his grip. She then raised her staff again and swung it powerfully toward the surprised Turk.

Rude rolled out of the way, barely avoiding Aeris' attack, and laboriously climbed to his feet.

**Reno** scrambled to his feet, quickly attempting to get out of Cloud's reach. Seeing that Cloud had temporarily stopped pursuing him, Reno allowed himself to relax a little.

He looked to Rude who returned his glance and silently nodded. Reno then calmly walked over and picked up his metal stun baton.

"We may be retreating," Reno said confidently as he rested his weapon on his shoulder. "But, we're still victorious."

Following Reno's humorous remark, the two Turks withdrew from the battle, quickly jogging up the path that lead to the dense Gongaga forest.

Reno knew when to hold his ground and when to back off. If he pushed his luck with that group he might end up in early retirement, one way or the other. Also, he reminded himself never to underestimate Cloud again. There was definitely much more to him than met the eye.

**The End.**

_Note: I used a different technique this time to show shifts in character focus. If you thought this method was better or worse please say so in review._


End file.
